Dead Girl's Dance
by MichelleTheVampGirl
Summary: 7 girls, 7 years, 7 suicide's. Sam and Dean Winchester arrive in Clinton Indiana to investigate the death of young Miriam Hurley. As the pattern begins to break, Sam and Dean will be pushed to their physical and emotional limits trying to solve a case that started off with something so simple as a girl and a bridge, and the choppy water below.
1. Chapter 1

To most people, Miriam Hurley's death was nothing more than a tragic suicide. When her name was spoken, people would duck their heads in respect and send out a prayer for the poor girl's soul. But for the most part, she was forgotten as quickly as she would have fallen from the town bridge into the brutal current below.

That's why, when asked by federal agents Page and Plant if they had noticed anything unusual leading up to Miriam's death, most people would reply with a quick shake of their head's and an inquiry about how long the questioning would last.

Miriam Hurley appeared to be a normal girl, who died a normal suicidal death.

"I can't believe we have no leads." Dean Winchester closed the door to the '67 Chevy impala behind him as he slid in behind the wheel. The passenger side door opened as his brother took his place beside him, his forehead furrowed together in confusion.

"Maybe there's just something we've missed?"

"Yeah, or maybe there's nothing else going on here except some girl's swan dive." Dean grunted in his gravelly voice as he pulled the impala out of the parking lot and hit the highway, searching for a cheap and run down motel to spend the night.

"Dean, it's too much of a coincidence that for the past seven years, on the same day, some girl has offed herself." Sam sighed, gazing out the window thoughtfully.

"But what's the connection?" he murmured, not really focusing on the trees that raced past as Dean sped down the highway.

"If there's a case Sammy, we'll figure it out" Dean relaxed in his seat, letting one arm fall off the starring wheel and hang lazily by his side, propped up by the window ledge.

"I guess"

Dean made a sudden and abrupt turn, after finally coming across a hotel that fit their usual standard of accommodation. He parked the impala carefully, letting it roll to a gentle stop in the corner of the parking lot. Sam got out of the car and quickly scanned the surroundings. He had stayed at so many motels in his life that they all looked the same to him now. He was sure in about a week from now he wouldn't be able to distinguish this particular landscape from any other in his memory. Closing the car door behind him without turning around, he waited for Dean to walk around the impala, and then the two brothers walked into the motel lobby to book a room.

Later that afternoon, Sam was busy researching the small town of Clinton, Indiana, trying to find a connection between the seven girls who had died.

"As far as I can tell, each girl died in different ways." Sam piqued up, making Dean glance over from his beer to see the all too familiar look of intensity on Sam's face he only had whilst researching.

"Miriam jumped off the bridge, the year before, a girl named Rachel hung herself, the year before that it was an overdose..."

"So they all look like suicides." Dean declared, taking another swig from his bottle. Sam sighed and rested his chin on his hand, still scrolling through the article he was reading on his laptop.

"Yeah... I dunno Dean. Maybe we are just dealing with a town with a high rate of suicide?"

"When do we ever get off that easily?" Dean stood up to go pass his little brother a beer, when Sam suddenly leaned in closer to his screen, his eyes scanning quickly, his lips parting as he became more absorbed in the article.

"What is it Sammy?" Dean placed the beer bottle on the table, leaning on the table to look over Sam's shoulder, trying to find the passage that had his brother's attention.

"Get this, five years ago, the third death, a girl named Katie died of three stab wounds in the stomach. She was found in her bedroom, all the windows were closed, the door was locked, no sign of a break-in. The court ruled it a suicide."

Dean flinched, one hand instinctually finding its way to his stomach.

"You'd think she'd have stopped after one stab."

"She should have" Sam's eyes continued to scan the article with vigour.

"And her sister Dana insists that Katie would never have killed herself."

Dean straightened his arm, drawing himself up from his hunched over position on the table.

"So, not suicide." He said concisely, stating a fact rather than an opinion.

Sam closed his laptop and got out of the chair, grabbing the bottle of beer as he stood up and went over to his bag to pick up his jacket.

"These girls are getting attacked."

Dean leaned against the wall and watching his brother shrug on his light beige jacket over his shirt.

"Which means Miriam probably didn't jump off that bridge"

Sam locked eyes with Dean and nodded solemnly.

"She was pushed."


	2. Chapter 2

"Dana Mulberry?" Dean asked the woman, holding out his fake FBI badge, while next to him, he felt Sam do the same.

"Yes, that's me" the woman replied in a stunned voice, her eyes wide as she looked at the badges. She was a pretty woman, with dark red hair and pale skin. Her features were petite and refined. Everything about her seemed breakable and delicate, from her willowy limbs to the soft slant of her jaw.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions about your sister if you don't mind" Sam asked kindly, putting his badge back into the pocket of his suit, being careful not to reveal the array of guns, knives, and stakes that lined the waistband of his trousers.

"I don't have any sister's" Dana replied sceptically, her arm blocking the door deliberately. Before Sam could interject, Dean took a step forward, his eyes locked on Dana's.

"We want to talk about Katie"

Dana made a soft noise of surprise, and wordlessly held open the door for the Winchesters, who looked at each other pointedly before either of them took a step in the door.

"My sister has been dead for five years now"

Dana murmured quietly, placing a tray of freshly baked cookies in front of the two brothers who were seated on a couch in her living room. The room was very modest, with minimal decorations except a collection of photo frames lining the top of the fireplace.

"I'm sorry, what were your names again?" Dana took a seat opposite the couch, facing the Winchester's with her ankles crossed daintily in front of her.

"Agents Page and Plant" Dean smiled at her charmingly while helping himself to a cookie. Sam leaned forward eagerly, his hands clasped on his lap.

"Can you tell us how your sister died Miss Mulberry?"

"It's actually Mrs Richards now" Dana smiled shyly, taking a sip from her cup of tea, giving the brothers a good view of the gold band on her ring finger.

"Dammit." Dean muttered under his breath. Sam pretended to ignore him.

"Oh, but you are the biological sister of Katie Mulberry, right?"

"Of course" Dana replied, her face solemn again. Looking around the room, Sam began to recognise a pattern in the photographs that decorated the fireplace. One face was shown in every single photo.

"Is that her?" Sam gestured towards the fireplace, and Dana nodded again, her eyes cast down.

"She was my best friend. I miss her every day."

"How did Katie die?" Dean asked, already holding his third cookie.

"Suicide." Dana replied in an expressionless voice.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. Sam raised his eyebrows, to which Dean responded with an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

"Dana..." Sam hesitated, making sure that the tiny woman in front of him was looking him in the eyes before he continued.

"We want to know what you really think happened to your sister."

Dana's hands twitched in her lap, and she looked over at the centre picture on top of the fireplace of a pretty young woman with strawberry blonde hair and bright green eyes.

"I thought the case was dropped years ago." Dana stated quietly, still not looking away from the photo.

"We're reinvestigating, due to the current tragedy" Dean lied smoothly. Dana sighed and ran a hand through her thick hair.

"I told agents five years ago, and I'll say it again, Katie never would have killed herself."

"You don't think it was suicide." Sam said plainly, his face calm and serene.

"No." Dana shook her head.

"Katie cried when she got paper cuts. She never would have been able to..." Dana's voice trailed off, her head bowed towards her shaking hands in her lap.

"Did Katie have any enemies?" Dean asked, already knowing that Dana would say no before she protested almost violently to the thought that someone could have a grudge against her dead sister.

"Was Katie acting... strange before her death?" Sam asked, contemplating ideas of possible demonic possession or haunting.

"Well..." Dana started to wring her hands in her lap, biting her lip nervously.

"She was scared."

Dean and Sam exchanged quick glances before leaning in simultaneous across the coffee table with interest. Dana sighed and looked up, casting another quick glance at the photo of Katie on the fireplace.

"I think the death of Gemma a year before had really hit her hard. She and Gemma were close. And of course, before that it was Hadley. The three of them were good friends."

"Did Katie happen to be friends with Miriam Hurley as well?" Sam asked quickly.

"She was, years ago. They all went to High School together. I don't think that had seen each other for a while before Katie's death though. It was after Hadley's death that Katie started to distance herself from her friends. I guess it was too much for her."

Dean cocked an eyebrow.

"And a year later Gemma kills herself."

"Tragic isn't it?" Dana had managed to clasp her hands so they didn't shake any more, but her voice was still so upset.

"I just have one more question before we leave Mrs Richardson, about Hadley." Sam spoke up softly, his voice comforting and soothing. Dean never told him, but he knew that Sam was a lot better with people than he was. Dean wanted to help people, he wanted to save people, but he wasn't the best at knowing how to deal with their feelings.

"Sure, anything" Dana smiled weakly at him, which Sam reciprocated.

"Hadley died seven years ago correct? She jumped off the bridge like Miriam did?"

"Yeah she did"

"Do you have any idea why she would have done it?"

Dana sighed and recrossed her legs.

"Hadley was a very temperamental girl. I think she had some kind of anxiety disorder. The girls had a fight a few days before Hadley died, Katie wouldn't tell me what about, and I guess Hadley took it too much to heart."

"Well, thank you for your time, we'll let you know if we find anything." Sam stood up and shook Dana's hand. Dana just smiled her sad smile again and walked the boys to the door. They didn't speak until they were seated in the impala, where Dean looked over to Sam, instantly recognising his brooding stare.

"I can't make sense of this Dean." Sam finally said, looking forward at the road.

"Yeah, me neither Sammy."

"Do you think all seven of the girls were friends?" Sam asked again after a few more moments of silence.

"It's possible." Dean replied wearily.

"So what do we do now?"

Dean shrugged noncommittally.

"I don't know Sammy. I just don't know."


End file.
